


Staring a Blank

by ReksBeks



Category: Inanimate Insanity (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort/Angst, Humor, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReksBeks/pseuds/ReksBeks
Summary: In which Paintbrush struggles to make a new painting because their thoughts get wack.
Relationships: (implied at least), Lightbulb/Paintbrush (Inanimate Insanity)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	1. Blank

A lovely day it is in the Hotel OJ, a simple day, a calming day, one could even say it can be a painting day!

That's exactly what you thought...about five hours ago. Oh the beauty of a blank canvas! A sign of what's to come, the true beginning of millions of pieces in the world. As well as the beginning of yours soon as well. Though, when it is empty in such a way...it's pretty mocking. It's just staring at you, so blank and so still. Like it just wants to come to life and shout, "Hey loser why haven't you painted on me yet!!" Well, it could probably do that if it wanted to, this can be a whole person you're about to paint on here. Not like that's likely, but y'know, life here can get pretty wack. 

Other times when you're drawing you ask Fan to give you ideas. He's pretty helpful, he's a whole waterfall of creative juice. So many ideas and color combos you never really got the chance to think about. He even asked if he could help with this one, but you declined. You wanted this piece to feel like you're own, just you and your own mind, no help needed. It really has been awhile since you did art on your own, so this simple piece will do the trick hopefully. At least you got Fan in spirit. 

Yep, you got him in spirit alright. 

You turn yourself back over to the canvas, you ready your pallet, and you close those eyes of yours. Brainstorming ideas, but really trying to focus this time. You need to think about what you want this painting to mean. Not a doodle you came up with with Fan. Something that screams 'Paintbrush made this.'

Then it hits you, you want it to feel warm. A calming warmth, something nice to the eyes of those who see it. (Something that shows others you're not just someone who shouts a lot, McShouty) You start thinking about the things that make you warm. Things like what you had for breakfast, or how you wrapped yourself in blankets the other day, or about the sights of swaying grass and fluttering butterflies. How the sun warms your bristles, how the grass feels around your legs. A scene that makes you feel at peace. A peace you want to cherish with someone else, a bright someone. Someone you lov-

Suddenly all those thoughts leave you in an instant. The thought bubbles have been popped somehow, and everything is off. The nice close warmness you felt is somehow cold and distant. It's all negative now, all your regrets come back to you, all those times you got angry and snapped at people. The feeling of your flames surrounding your head, when it's not even on fire at all. So negative it feels red and burning hot. You can feel your back getting chills, and you shake slightly. How did that...How could that happen? Everything was so nice. You try to think about those warm and calming things again-but the red is spreading even more now. It's like the red its making you think things that hurt to remember. You stop and take a breather. 

Okay, that was obviously because you were over-stressing yourself! All those thoughts were just going to lead to disappointment because you can't do all of that of course! You have to not stress yourself out, that's what all that 'red' was about. Yeah, the red was just stress-an artistic paintbrush such as yourself is bound to get stressed! You just need a quick drink and that'll make it better. You'll be good as new, and ready to paint again in no time.

Hopefully...


	2. Rustling Mind

Back at it again, huh? Well, you will admit, taking your eyes off the canvas for a while did make you feel better. The only problem now is you're staring at it again. Such is fate or whatever they say. You take a sip of your water, you label it ‘Only drink this one’, and you make sure the cup is as far from your other one as possible. Any amount of accidently swallowed paint water would probably kill you at this point, and you can’t exactly paint when you’re dead, right?

You stop and look at the ever staring blank canvas, glaring right at its stupid white soul, and you start to think. You want to go back to the calm warm feeling you had before, this time, you’re even more focused on it. You can’t have whatever that red feeling was before happen again. Taking the time to clear your mind, you notice all of your thoughts seem so loud for some idiotic reason.

Seriously, what is even going on here? What even are these? Out of all the times you needed to think of paint thoughts, you decided to think about Big Chungus instead? (To be fair, you can hear the song out of Fan’s headphones, but that’s not making it any better.) Now you’re getting angry. Why is this so difficult for you right now? How is this any different from any other time you’ve painted? You seriously call yourself an artist when you can’t even paint by yourself? So much for being such a ‘artistic paintbrush’. Why don’t you go yell at your friends again, like saying how much you don’t need them or telling them how stupid they are. That seems like the only thing a wanna-be artist like you is good for...

Oh my paintbrush factory, you need to distract yourself. You need to get at least something started here or else you’ll just be stuck in this pile of self-deprecation. Then it hits you, you can do what you did before in that dumb painting contest for the show. It’s simple and it won’t be hard at all! You reach over to your pallet, and start dumping your hand in whatever color is facing you. 

Just nice and simple, right..?

...Right?

But this isn’t some stupid competition, is it? This is YOU. This isn’t something you have to do to stay on some show. It’s not like you’re gonna get a cash reward for this, so why even bother? You’ve painted for years and ever since you’ve been on that show you all of a sudden just want to stare angrily at some dumb blank canvas.

Everything feels so against you right now. All you want is to be independent without it backfiring for once, but now your mind is after you. For only a moment you were finally calm and happy about what ideas came to mind. So excited to put it on to a classic cotton canvas. So why are all of your regretful actions and random thoughts coming after you all at once? 

You don’t want some dumb self-discovery breakthrough. You. Just. Want. To. PAINT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long with this one, things just kept popping up for me, you know how it is. Luckily, I did promise myself to get chapter 2 out before the end of the year, so I think I did a pretty good job :smirk:. (Unless this comes out and it's already 2021 for you, but shhhhh) Anywho, enjoy the chapter!!

**Author's Note:**

> WOOP WOOP, okay so this is one of my first public fanfics ever, so if you have an advice for my improvement I'd love to hear it!! Also apologizes if Paintbrush is out of character or such, I still need to get a better analysis of them.


End file.
